My Soul to Steal
Page 27
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He frowned. Why else would she do it?
I thought hoped maybe it was recreational. Something she could quit, if she wanted to.
His frown deepened as my point sank ina little too close to home. Kaylee, shes not getting high. Shes surviving. Its not her fault that food and water arent enough to keep her alive.
You seriously expect me to believe she doesnt enjoy it?
Nash started to answer, then his mouth snapped shut as two freshmen came out of the girls restroom, talking about some song one of them had just downloaded. When they were gone, he turned to me again, leaning against the painted cinder-block wall.
Im not saying she hates it. Im just saying she has to do it, whether she likes it or not. Besides, whats wrong with liking what you eat? Dont tell me you hate pizza and chips and ice cream He did not just compare me to junk food. My temper flared. Im not draining someones life force every time I have a slice of pepperoni.
Shes a predator, Kaylee. She cant help that, and you cant change it. She has to eat something.
You mean someone, I snapped, and Nash nodded, unfazed by my blunt phrasing. But it doesnt have to be classmates, right? Why cant she eat bad guys? You know, feed from criminals. She could power up and serve society at the same time.
Nash laughed, and I gritted my teeth in irritation. Hed taken me seriously before shed shown up, hadnt he? Great idea, Kay. How would you suggest she identify these bad guys?
Im thinking jail would be a good place to start. Shed probably feel right at home there. Or Fort Worth gang territories. It cant be too hard to find someone worth scaring the crap out of, either way.
Nashs expression went hard. Im not going to tell her to drive downtown by herself in the middle of the night, to look for someone who deserves to be eaten in his sleep! She could get killed.
But what about that whole astral projection thing? If she doesnt have a physical presence, she cant be hurt, right?
What do you want her to do, walk her astral self twenty miles and back? She cant fly, even when shes Sleepwalking. Plus, theres a limit to how far her astral form can wander from her actual body, so shed still be in physical danger.
Nash, shes a walking Nightmare. Shes probably the scariest thing out there, even in the middle of the night.
That doesnt make her bulletproof! He ran one hand through his hair and leaned back against the wall, obviously frustrated. Look, I dont expect you two to braid eachothers hair and share lip gloss, but you sound like youre trying to get her killed!
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall next to the water fountain. I dont want her dead, I swear. Though I might not object to a light maiming
But if she poked one more metaphysical finger into my dreams, Id probably be singing a different tune.
Good. Because no matter how tough she talks, shes really not that different from anyone else here. His wide-armed gesture took in the whole school.
Yeah. Except for that whole creep-into-your-dreams-and-ruin-your-life angle.
Nash studied me, like he was weighing some options I didnt understand. You know how you got creeped out just from looking at her a couple of times?
Like Im gonna forget.
She did that on purpose, because shes threatened by you. But she used to have no control over it. Until she learned to quit dripping creepy vibes like a leaky faucet, everyone she ever met had the same reaction to her. Her parents left her on the front steps of some big church in Dallas when she was a toddler. Shed creeped out twelve sets of foster parents before she was fourteen. And shes literally never had a friend, other than me. All because she was born a mara.
I blinked, confused. Wait, why would her parents give her up? Werent they maras, too?
Nash shook his head, but didnt explain until a throng of girls in matching greenand-white letter jackets crossed between us and into the bathroom.
Its different for maras than it is for us. They are always born to human families. Every seventh daughter of a seventh daughter is a Nightmare, and so is her life, until she figures out what she is and how to feed herself without driving off the rest of humanity. What do you think your life would have been like without your family? Or Emma?
I didnt even want to imagine it. Fine. I get it. Shes had it rough. But thats all in the past. She can control herself now, so if she chooses not to, the consequences are all hers. And those consequences would include whatever happened when she eventually pushed me past my limit.
I agree, Nash conceded, pulling his bag higher on his shoulder. But Im not going to send her to jail or to inner-city Fort Worth to feed. She doesnt deserve to get hurt just because you dont like what she eats. After another moments hesitation, he exhaled and shrugged, like our argument wasnt worth fighting anymore. Its not like shes hurting anyone. Shed never take too much.
My inner alarm flared to life inside my head, like a warbling siren. Too much? What happens if she takes too much?
I thought hoped maybe it was recreational. Something she could quit, if she wanted to.
His frown deepened as my point sank ina little too close to home. Kaylee, shes not getting high. Shes surviving. Its not her fault that food and water arent enough to keep her alive.
You seriously expect me to believe she doesnt enjoy it?
Nash started to answer, then his mouth snapped shut as two freshmen came out of the girls restroom, talking about some song one of them had just downloaded. When they were gone, he turned to me again, leaning against the painted cinder-block wall.
Im not saying she hates it. Im just saying she has to do it, whether she likes it or not. Besides, whats wrong with liking what you eat? Dont tell me you hate pizza and chips and ice cream He did not just compare me to junk food. My temper flared. Im not draining someones life force every time I have a slice of pepperoni.
Shes a predator, Kaylee. She cant help that, and you cant change it. She has to eat something.
You mean someone, I snapped, and Nash nodded, unfazed by my blunt phrasing. But it doesnt have to be classmates, right? Why cant she eat bad guys? You know, feed from criminals. She could power up and serve society at the same time.
Nash laughed, and I gritted my teeth in irritation. Hed taken me seriously before shed shown up, hadnt he? Great idea, Kay. How would you suggest she identify these bad guys?
Im thinking jail would be a good place to start. Shed probably feel right at home there. Or Fort Worth gang territories. It cant be too hard to find someone worth scaring the crap out of, either way.
Nashs expression went hard. Im not going to tell her to drive downtown by herself in the middle of the night, to look for someone who deserves to be eaten in his sleep! She could get killed.
But what about that whole astral projection thing? If she doesnt have a physical presence, she cant be hurt, right?
What do you want her to do, walk her astral self twenty miles and back? She cant fly, even when shes Sleepwalking. Plus, theres a limit to how far her astral form can wander from her actual body, so shed still be in physical danger.
Nash, shes a walking Nightmare. Shes probably the scariest thing out there, even in the middle of the night.
That doesnt make her bulletproof! He ran one hand through his hair and leaned back against the wall, obviously frustrated. Look, I dont expect you two to braid eachothers hair and share lip gloss, but you sound like youre trying to get her killed!
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall next to the water fountain. I dont want her dead, I swear. Though I might not object to a light maiming
But if she poked one more metaphysical finger into my dreams, Id probably be singing a different tune.
Good. Because no matter how tough she talks, shes really not that different from anyone else here. His wide-armed gesture took in the whole school.
Yeah. Except for that whole creep-into-your-dreams-and-ruin-your-life angle.
Nash studied me, like he was weighing some options I didnt understand. You know how you got creeped out just from looking at her a couple of times?
Like Im gonna forget.
She did that on purpose, because shes threatened by you. But she used to have no control over it. Until she learned to quit dripping creepy vibes like a leaky faucet, everyone she ever met had the same reaction to her. Her parents left her on the front steps of some big church in Dallas when she was a toddler. Shed creeped out twelve sets of foster parents before she was fourteen. And shes literally never had a friend, other than me. All because she was born a mara.
I blinked, confused. Wait, why would her parents give her up? Werent they maras, too?
Nash shook his head, but didnt explain until a throng of girls in matching greenand-white letter jackets crossed between us and into the bathroom.
Its different for maras than it is for us. They are always born to human families. Every seventh daughter of a seventh daughter is a Nightmare, and so is her life, until she figures out what she is and how to feed herself without driving off the rest of humanity. What do you think your life would have been like without your family? Or Emma?
I didnt even want to imagine it. Fine. I get it. Shes had it rough. But thats all in the past. She can control herself now, so if she chooses not to, the consequences are all hers. And those consequences would include whatever happened when she eventually pushed me past my limit.
I agree, Nash conceded, pulling his bag higher on his shoulder. But Im not going to send her to jail or to inner-city Fort Worth to feed. She doesnt deserve to get hurt just because you dont like what she eats. After another moments hesitation, he exhaled and shrugged, like our argument wasnt worth fighting anymore. Its not like shes hurting anyone. Shed never take too much.
My inner alarm flared to life inside my head, like a warbling siren. Too much? What happens if she takes too much?
